Baby Monster’s ascent is formidable. With breathtaking live performances as their weapon, they have swept YouTube, global charts, and music programs, proving the power of a ‘next-generation global icon’. The music video for the title track ‘WE GO UP’ from Baby Monster’s second mini album hit 100 million views on YouTube at 9:16 p.m. on the 23rd. Since its release on the 10th, it took about 13 days to reach that milestone, the fastest pace among K-pop artists’ music videos released this year. As a result, Baby Monster now has 12 videos with over a hundred million views. Meanwhile, their large-scale exclusive performance video is nearing 80 million views, fueling a double-barreled surge in popularity.

As the so-called ‘Next-Generation YouTube Queen,’ Baby Monster lived up to the hype, with such record-breaking expected. They surpassed 10 million YouTube subscribers just before the mini-2 album comeback, setting the fastest-ever record for a K-pop girl group. Since their official debut in April last year, in roughly 1 year and 5 months, they have the third-most subscribers behind Blackpink and Twice. Their current subscriber count sits at 10.3 million, with cumulative views surpassing 6 billion.

In particular, their momentum has accelerated as they ramp up full-scale activities. The encore performance that topped Mnet’s M Countdown on the 16th is at the heart of this momentum. As a fully-formed group that had already generated buzz before debut, fans waited for the ‘purist live’ moments; the members restrained tears of emotion and delivered performances of a caliber beyond the studio version. That video had surpassed 2.09 million views as of the 24th and remains widely shared. This is a testament to Baby Monster’s unabated skill being showcased.

‘We Go Up’ topped the iTunes Worldwide Albums chart immediately after release and also reached No. 1 on Hanter Chart and Circle Chart. It entered Billboard Global Excl. U.S. at No. 67 and the Billboard Global 200 at No. 121. On QQ Music’s Rising Chart in China, every track from the album charted at top positions in sequence.

The momentum continues into the year-end, with appearances confirmed at the 2025 MAMA Awards and SBS’s 2025 Gayo Daejeon; with their stage presence and rapid global ascent, they are poised to close 2025 with another electrifying performance on year-end stages.